In Least Terms
by MonsterBrat
Summary: *Shisui, Itachi, Uchiha, Oro* Set of 100 word drabbles of a take on what actually happened before the Uchiha massacre. 1 Godless: Itachi, Shisui, and the beginning of an unhealthy self reliance.
1. Godless

His early dreams of good outstripp'd the truth,  
And troubled manhood follow'd baffled youth.  
- Byron

**Godless**

The storm is inevitable, inescapable. Itachi watches the sky turn red with chakra, malevolent and vast, and thinks nothing. It is a unique brand of terror, not to be repeated.

In the shelter the other children are crying. He alone is up here. The thought of someone saving him now, when the world is over and a monster is approaching, is inconceivable.

Shisui comes and hides Itachi's face from the Kyuubi. He does not feel safer. For Itachi the darkness only spreads deeper inside.

It stays there, and finally even the lightning-bright figure of Yondaime-sama does not chase it away.

**END**

A/N: The first of several to come, dunno when. Others to be considered for reading, on the same topic/characters:  
-Long Hair (100 words)  
-Killer Instinct (100 words)  
I might put those in here if it proves to be useful, since they fit into the timeline.

**Notes for this one:**  
I have always wondered about this tendency of characters in Naruto to be ultra-independent in a very cooperative village setting... and Itachi is probably a good show of this trend going wrong (but we have Naruto, in a way, doing the same, and Sasuke...)  
In any case the point was that once you've seen the world ending there seems no point to get clingy to a village that cannot protect you. I'm not giving this as an excuse, but rather as a beginning in a spiral... well, that doesn't sound exactly like what I'm thinking of...

It is in a way the same thing Sasuke saw when his whole clan got slaughtered, isn't it?


	2. Missed

Shisui waits for a confrontation and tries to keep strong.

Missed

He is waiting at the gate when Shisui returns. Some days Shisui wonders if he isn't better off getting rid of this kid. Other days he feels guilty for the thought. The secret riding in his chest constricts his breathing momentarily.

"You're home. Welcome back." Itachi says.

Shisui watches him dispassionately. This is the boy who is surpassing him, systematically destroying him. The boy who trusts him more than anyone else. He'll betray that trust, inevitably. Despite how much Itachi means to him, he's not _everything_ there is.

"Glad to be back." He says. But he passes Itachi without stopping.

END

A/N: what secret? Next time. Or maybe you can guess.

Yeah my Shisui isn't a very nice person, but then neither is Itachi. In a way they deserve each other. I guess now Sasuke deserves to join the circle too.


	3. Welcoming

He is glad not to know what he's missing.

Welcoming

His first kill is during the Chuunin exam. Itachi is alone, and the desert training field is vast and empty. There are many hours left until his team meets. Meanwhile he watches the corpse of a girl, waiting.

There are thoughts, foreign. What she was like, her family? Will he be penalized? Finally he hides the corpse and says nothing. It's left behind in the sand and he is promoted.

Shisui watches the promotion from the stands, eyes vast and dark. Itachi feels cold, more than he ever did with father, but Shisui only tells him that he'll do fine.

END

It always sort of surprises me that people go "omg how did this happen" when someone like Itachi or Sasori comes along. I mean Konoha isn't the Mist with their genin-killing ways but it's still fucked up to have an eight year old committing murder on advice from his parents. And they wonder why he decides "fuck everyone"… after they shove him into the Chuunin exam at eight, yeah that's real affection right there.

I'm trying to say that being immersed in shinobi culture so unapologetically should be done cautiously… someone should put a fucking age limit down….

PS: this, specifically, is on the topic of having no mentor who would say, "no, you shouldn't kill unnecessarily".


	4. Attention

Summary: Shisui, wary on all fronts.

Attention

Orochimaru is waiting for him. Soon, he is told, he will be taken away from this village with its many unnecessary restrictions. Meanwhile there's the Mangekyou.

Behind him there is always Itachi, a Jounin and soon ANBU. His eyes have developed as far as they'll go, but he feels it's not enough. As if it's natural to know.

Shisui hates this talent that needs no awakening, but he gathers the boy close and keeps him safe. He isn't sure why he does it. Sometimes he thinks that he is waiting, too, but for what? He doesn't really want to know.

END

I plan to explore this idea a bit more fully later, or possibly in a separate story, but essentially Itachi is not the first in the Uchiha clan to attract Orochimaru's interest.


	5. Equivalent Exchange

They're stuck like this, silently.

Equivalent Exchange

"I'm working on it. I'll figure it out." Shisui tells him, poring over the scrolls they stole. They are alone in Shisui's apartment, Itachi learning family history, and he feels sickened by them all, and he doesn't want the Mangekyou – doesn't need it yet.

What Itachi wants more is for Shisui to let him stay the night, but that's impossible. His father would get curious if he refused to go back.

Itachi can wait, but it is he, not Shisui who is stuck alone with his father at home. He could say so, but he suspects Shisui already knows anyway.

END

Yeah they've both got their own secrets and can't seem to share. Shisui's just not sure Itachi will understand (he really does think this kid is just lonely and gullible) and Itachi gathers the idea that Shisui is heartless. Which is maybe not precisely true, but it's close so I guess he can be forgiven, and he's been one to err on the side of caution.

And yeah, he doesn't need the Mangekyou – his own strength hasn't finished yet, no need to jump the gun to blindness. As to the price of it (Sasuke, Shisui) I don't think they've figured that part out yet.


End file.
